


No Lie

by kenshincha



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Character Study, Empathy, M/M, Mutant Powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-05 14:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15172256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenshincha/pseuds/kenshincha
Summary: Steve was born with an empathic x-gene, making him a walking lie detector. Tony lies all the time, and Steve's going to get to the bottom of it.





	No Lie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SilverInStars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverInStars/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy! I'm a sucker for empathic powers and this was so fun to write.

When Steve was growing up, x-genes hadn't been well-known. There was always talk of mutants. Whenever anything strange happened, rumors of people with superpowers would pop up. Radiating both fear and excitement, they would tell others how they knew someone who knew someone who could breath fire or move objects with their mind.

Steve had never heard anyone speak of his mutation. He didn't even really understand it at the time. He couldn't read minds or make people hallucinate.

He knew what others were feeling, but not by visual cues or listening to the tone of their voice. He felt it. He felt their fear when they read the newspaper. He felt their grief when learning of a death. He felt his mother's exhaustion when she came home from working as a nurse.

He also knew when someone was lying. There was a strange sour feel to their emotions that Steve came to recognize as deceit.

His mom never lied to him. Bucky didn't either, even when he told Steve he thought he was strong.

Steve got pretty good at weeding out the bullies. They were always lying, whether it was about their intentions or their beliefs. A man yelling flippantly at the news reel, disrespecting the soldiers fighting overseas and the others in the theater. He felt their frustration at the man's attitude. Steve hated the negative effect someone could have on so many people.

The Nazis were like that. He couldn't feel them through the news reels, but they were the bullies of the world. They destroyed and stole and killed. They were spreading a horrible fog over the world, a resonating fear that sunk into everyone's bones.

Steve couldn't stand it. He had to do something about it. So he signed up for the army. Again and again and again.

When Dr. Erskine first approached him, he did not talk about Steve's physical limitations. He spoke of the emotional effects of war. He spoke of the men who broke under the horror. Steve didn't understand why he was describing this, but Erskine was not trying to be deceitful or manipulative, so Steve listened.

It was then that he brought up the concept of empathy. Steve had never heard of it but as Erskine described it, he knew it was what he had.

When Steve asked if Erskine could feel emotions too, he said no, but that he could see people's auras, an energy field that spoke of the character of one's soul. It was that which told him Steve was not like other men, that he was special. This serum would take what was already in Steve and return it tenfold.

That was how Steve became a part of the army trials for the next super soldier. All of the men had some mutation, even if it was only a heightened sense of smell.

It was with Erskine that he learned to block out his senses. He did not want to invade others privacy, but he knew that if he did appear in combat, he would not want to be so overwhelmed by the intense emotions of war.

When he was selected, Erskine had been right. His powers were almost overwhelming at first, but he had to learn to adapt on his own when the assassin hit its mark.

The government deemed it a failure with Erskine gone and gone with him the possibility of more super soldiers. A senator came to him, offered him a job selling war bonds. Steve was acutely aware that the man wasn't giving him the whole truth, but he felt the joy and hope he gave people when he performed. He reveled in the happiness of an audience watching one of his movies.

His first (and last) USO show was a punch in the gut. Sure, morale was higher at home, but it was only pain on the front lines. He had lost his focus over the last few years, but he suddenly knew what he had to do.

He saved Bucky. He saved a group of men who he would come to know as family. It was a group of men he trusted fully. The Howling Commandos were men who never lied to him. He came to rely on the honesty they gave him, and expected it.

Which was why Tony frustrated him so much.

The future was different. His new team was different. There were many lies thrown around, but no one lied as much as Tony. He was one of the first men that Steve had some trouble getting a read on. He spoke so quickly and flippantly, it took some time for Steve to parse through the jumble.

"When you put it like that, it almost sounds reasonable." Lie.

"I could probably stand to see your face tomorrow." Lie.

"I have everything I could ever want." Lie.

"The team doesn't need me." ...Truth.

Tony made Steve realize that there was more to truths and lies. It was not quite as black and white as he'd thought. There were lies, truths, half truths, half lies. There were horrendous lies that made his skin crawl, about Tony not being good enough. But they were truths. Because Tony believed it. He believed he didn't deserve to be a part of this team.

It took a long time for Steve not to jump to conclusions. He learned Tony was a master at hiding himself. Lies and sarcasm were his tools of the trade. He deflected so easily using others' minds against them. He put up so many false flags that quickly lead to incorrect conclusions. It was easy to miss the truth.

Steve was starting to wonder if Tony was getting lost in his own forest.

They'd just finished redesigning the security for the tower when Steve said, "I like working with you, Tony." He opened his senses a bit, trying to pick up as much as he could.

Tony blinked, his emotions shocked into nothing before a warm sense of happiness felt like the sun on Steve's face. "I, uh, like working with you, too." Lie.

Steve's stomach did a complicated flip that it could only have learned from Natasha. But his gut knew that happiness told the truth of his words. "That's a lie."

Tony frowned. "What?"

"You don't like working with me," Steve began, and the tiny jolt of Tony's panic emblazoned him on. "You love working with me."

"Of course I don't!" Lie.

Steve grinned. He knew he probably shouldn't be using his powers like this, especially when no one knew about them, but he was starting to get the hang of Tony's game. "You do. You love being on this team. You love how much you belong here."

Tony snorted. "Are you kidding? My life was so much simpler before you guys showed up." Truth. "I'd like for my tower to be nice and quiet." Truth.

He didn't like the sound of that, but Steve wasn't deterred. He just had to look past it. "You'd really love for the tower to be empty?"

"Of course." Lie. "I could get so much more done." Truth.

Steve felt himself inching closer. "But you wouldn't enjoy it half as much without us distracting you."

Tony rolled his eyes. "I don't enjoy being interrupted by you hooligans." Lie.

Biting his lip to hide a smile, Steve looked down at the blueprints. "I don't like when you spend too much time alone down here in your workshop. I like when you're a part of the team." He looked up and met Tony's eyes. "I like you."

Tony swallowed, but seemed transfixed by Steve's gaze, unable to look away. "I like you, too." Lie.

Steve blinked. He fought his knee-jerk reaction. He knew. He knew he wasn't wrong about this. "You love me."

The panic before was nothing like the spike of panic now. "No!" Lie.

Steve's grin widened to almost painful. "You do."

Tony glared. "I do not!" Lie. "You're the most infuriating man I know!" Truth. "I don't know why I put up with you." Lie.

Steve leaned in. "I love you, too."

That seemed to stop Tony in his tracks. "You do?"

Steve nodded.

"No lie?"

Steve laughed. "No lie," he promised, and kissed him.


End file.
